Citing federal civil rights laws that forbid the segregation of disabled people in large institutions, the U.S. Justice Department has joined Florida children’s advocates who say the state is improperly forcing children with complex medical conditions into nursing homes designed to care for frail elders.

JACKSONVILLE - After a failed attempt to pass legislation to protect the frail and elderly in assisted-living facilities, industry experts reconvened in Jacksonville Monday with the hope of hammering out measures to curb abuse while appeasing the powerful long-term care industry.

The panel was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott last year to address rampant wrongdoing in ALFs but lawmakers failed to pass any of the workgroup’s proposals in March. The meeting was the first attempt to revive the effort.

Even if former Sen. George LeMieux hadn’t unexpectedly dropped out of the U.S. Senate race Wednesday, Rep. Connie Mack was the Republicans’ de facto nominee anyway.

That’s how it looked from a Democratic-leaning mystery poll that coincided with LeMieux’s withdrawal.

Less than 20 minutes after Lemieux quit, an outfit that called itself “Florida Opinion Survey” began polling Florida voters to test a number of political messages that undoubtedly will be used to boost incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson and tear at Mack.

When Thomas Grady left another state job in March to become interim president of Citizens Property Insurance, he sent his staff a goodbye letter that urged:

“Think different. Be heard. But most of all, suck the marrow out of life, inside and outside the office.’’

Grady, a millionaire Naples securities lawyer and friend of Gov. Rick Scott, seems to have taken his own advice. In less than two months at state-run Citizens, he spent nearly $10,000 on expensive hotel rooms, airplane trips, a limo ride and a three-night stay in Bermuda.

Florida’s enforcement of pollution laws has dropped significantly during the administration of Gov. Rick Scott, according to a report released Wednesday by an environmental group.

The declines during Scott’s first year in office were across the board, from the number of major cases opened to the size of penalties collected, according to an analysis by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.

TALLAHASSEE -- A half-dozen Republican Senate candidates were on the verge of winning new terms without opposition — until the Democrats saw an opening.

Democrats concede they don’t have a realistic chance of winning the seats. But by fielding little-known candidates at the last minute, they were able to freeze the ability of those Republicans to make large donations to the state GOP in a crucial election year.

At Florida International University — where, like other state schools, tuition costs more than double what it did a decade ago — senior Stephani Galindo is frustrated. Even with scholarships and the help of need-based federal Pell grants, Galindo has had to borrow about $20,000 to finance her education.

And on July 1, unless Congress acts, the cost of borrowing is about to go up — by a lot. The interest rate on federally subsidized Stafford loans, currently at 3.4 percent, is set to double to 6.8 percent.

TALLAHASSEE -- Fed up with the closed-door treatment from Gov. Rick Scott, the Police Benevolent Association sent a nasty gram using a word game in its quarterly newsletter, Roll Call.

The sixth page of the March newsletter notes that the union that represents police departments, sheriffs and other law enforcement officers has repeatedly asked Gov. Rick Scott to submit a guest article to the newsletter as part of its practice offered to every statewide elected official.

TALLAHASSEE -- When a politically connected company was in danger of losing a $9.4 million no-bid contract with the state, Senate President Mike Haridopolos came to the rescue of the outfit — a firm that employs his good friend and political benefactor as a lobbyist.

Haridopolos staved off the threat to the deal with the Department of Juvenile Justice and quietly steered $6 million in additional dollars to the company, despite the vigorous objections of agency leaders and top Republican senators.

In anticipation of a wave of soldiers returning from war, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced it is adding 1,900 healthcare professionals and staff members to its workforce.

With each additional mental healthcare provider, a facility can potentially reach hundreds more veterans who are struggling with mental illness and the aftermath of war. They will join a team focused on treating veterans through individualized care, readjustment counseling and immediate crisis services.